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Wednesday, December 21, 2016

In the northern hemisphere, the Winter solstice is the day of the year (this year it is December 21) when the Sun is farthest south. The winter solstice marks the first day of the winter season. The declination of the Sun on the (northern) winter solstice is known as the tropic of Capricorn (-23° 27').

Winter is the time for rest and to replenish. As an expression in nature, The Winter Solstice is the time to reflect on the power of our spiritual beliefs and the belief in the power of ourselves! As we look forward to the beginning of a New Year, we look at ways to resolve issues and create resolutions that will manifest change for the better, in ourselves.

Winter is the time to take a good look at our health and our lifestyle. Start by looking at the life around you. Are you living in chaos? Is your home in a shambles? Is there clutter everywhere? You may want to consider starting with a good packing and storing session. Feng Shui, the ancient art of placement, can help you to find order in your life.

The temple, our physical bodies, are the only thing we have to carry the soul. When our physical bodies are not in proper working order, everything around us ultimately suffers. Our good health is all we have that stands between us and the aging process. The longer you keep your physical body in optimum health, the longer you have your temple to keep your soul on this plane. Detoxification is the best way to keep the body at its most ultimate working level.

By enjoying a healthy, nutritional diet, getting good quality sleep and moderate exercise this can keep our physical form at it's best, always. Take the opportunities that are offered. Make the opportunities that are not. Find your priorities of life and give them merit. This is the best season to do this. This is the time when we have the greatest energy to utilize the power we are given!

Celebrations of the Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice is the time of the longest night and the shortest day. As the darkness peaks the Solstice is a turning point. This is the point of the highest Yin (cooling) energy as the nights grow shorter and the days grow longer into Yang (warming) energy. The cycle of dark wanes as the power of the Sun waxes.

Customs most associated with the Winter Solstice are festivals such as Chinese New Year, St Lucy's Day, Saturnalia, the birth of the Christ child, Hanukkah, New Years and the Twelfth Night. Stories all deriving from the conflict between dark and light.

A Ritual of Light

On the longest, darkest day of the year, a ritual of light is an ever present reminder of the conflict, struggle and duality (yin/yang) of our lives. Using candles as therapy has been around for thousands of years, and has been practiced by nearly every religion. Candle therapy can be used to unite the powers of mind, body, and spirit. From ancient times to the present, Candles have lit our way through every transition! From celebrations and ceremonies to proclamations and processions! The candle's flame has always been a metaphor for the soul! It possesses a tranquil and almost hypnotic atmosphere to those who allow its power to take them to a very special place.

A candle acts as a "self object". A self object is an object that is a reflection of our self, a reflection upon which we can act. The candle reflects the spiritual and ethical changes we would like to bring about in ourselves. It burns as a reminder and symbol of our desires. Sometimes we have to hand our dreams over to a force more powerful than we are.

Working With Candle Energy

When working with candles, you can be as simplistic or as complicated as you would like to make it. I suggest that you always charge your candle before lighting it.

Sit in a quiet place hold the candle in your hands at heart level and visualize the area in your life you want charged (changed). This will personalize your connections with the candle and allow the needed energy to come to you in a more direct way. Begin by using a positive affirmation based on your specific situation.

You get as much out of a candle (or anything) as you put into it. You must create your own reality through the use of your energy, emotions and visualizations. What you wish to create may come immediately or it may take some time. Experience shows that results are only realized at the appropriate time (the Universal time, not your own)! This allows us a great lesson.

1. Any time you light a candle, always state your true intention and end with a positive affirmation.

2. Burn a candle based on the color you need.

3. Use the seven colors of the Chakra and light these candles to release the color into the room. The rainbow colors have an amazing healing power when lit all together.

4. Burn a candle for meditation. Sit in front of the candle and concentrate on the light.

5. Burn a candle that is made from herbs and essential oils. The power of herbs and scent are blended with the power of light to manifest a positive action.

7. Different geometric shapes will alter and enhance the effects of color and scent. It involves understanding what particular geometric patterns can do by using that particular layout around an individual to heal. Meditating within the center of these configurations (a circle, square, triangle, for example) can heighten the entire experience! Place candles in one of these sacred shapes. Place them on a table or alter to burn or place them on the floor or in your meditation space and sit inside the configuration. meditate on or within the geometric shape.

Candles can create any mood based on color and good intention. Utilize the power of light and wax OR create your own special winter solstice ritual to usher in the change of the season and reflect what this means to you.

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Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Essential Oils for Christmas

If the aroma of pine is what brings back memories like going out and cutting your own tree, we have a top list of memory-joggers that you are going to love! With nature's essential oils, the aroma of Christmas need not be forgotten. Simply spray the tree with a mixture of 1 cup of water and 6 drops of essential oil of pine, or put a few drops of pine oil on an absorbent material and tuck around the base of the tree. Here are several essential oils that you may use to help re-create your Christmas memories.

Cinnamon (Cinnamoma cassia): Cinnamon comes from the dried bark of trees in the laurel family. Cinnamon has a rich history in Chinese medicine as well as Western herbal medicine. A holiday favorite, this dark scent is often used to accent cookies, cakes and cocoa. Cinnamon tea is not only delightful but helpful for relieving nausea and indigestion. Cinnamon oil is great for colds. Add a few drops of cinnamon oil to boiling water and inhale the steam. Cinnamon oil is also used as a massage oil and has a warming effect on skin.

Clove (Caryophyllum aromaticus): Clove is a hot oil. A holiday favorite, this delicious scent is often used in warming recipes. It can be used in a carrier oil for any infection. It has been used in the dental industry for years to deaden pain. Clove oil can be applied topically with a carrier. It has been used for arousing and fortifying. According to a study at the University of Iowa, compounds in clove oil have shown "strong activity" against bacteria associated with plaque and gum disease.

Pine (Pinus sylvestris) : Pine Needle was used by the ancient Romans and Greeks to treat respiratory problems and muscular aches. A holiday staple, this fantastic scent is often used to accent potpourri and diffused into the air. It promotes a healthy immune and musculoskeletal system. Distilled in Austria from the finest pines, Pine Needle can be diffused to help strengthen the respiratory tract and maintain sinus passages. When massaged into the skin, Pine Needle supports healthy circulation and soothes the discomfort of sore joints and muscles. A true disinfectant, a strong germ killer, excellent for viral infections and for muscular aches, rheumatism and arthritis.

Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica), (Juniperus virginiana) : A holiday favorite, this fragrant scent is often used in accenting closets and cupboards. Cedar is a versatile oil that acts as an astringent and a cleansing agent. Believed to have originated from the famous Lebanon cedars, this essential oil provides an exhilarating tonic for the scalp and face to help the body deal with dandruff and acne. It can also be massaged into the skin for soothing, relaxing muscle rubs. Cedars are thought to offer longevity, and the oil it yields was used for embalming in ancient Egypt, and as an incense by Tibetan monks to aid in meditation.

Neroli (Citrus aurantium) : A holiday favorite, this rich citrus scent is often used in the scenting of perfumes. Neroli oil has a sweet, floral and slightly haunting aroma, the color is pale yellow and the viscosity is watery. This essential oil is also known as 'orange blossom' and it takes about 1000 lbs. of orange blossoms to make 1 lb. of Neroli oil.The name Neroli is said to originate from the Italian princess, Anne-Marie de la Tremoille, Countess of Nerola, who used the oil as a perfume and to scent her bathwater and gloves.The orange petals were used in China in the making of cosmetics and are still an ingredient for making traditional smelling Eau-de-cologne. Orange petals are often associated with marriage, purity and brides who traditionally wore it in their hair.

Sweet Orange (Citrus vulgaris) : The orange in itself is a highlight nutrias fruit containing many vitamins including A, B, and C. Being that essential oils are extracted directly from the peel of the orange, it contains all of these natural nutrients as well. This yellow-orange oil is quite sweet in fragrance and is used in ?fruity? fragrance blends. Orange may also be used by itself for a light personal scent. Orange has been used as a beauty oil especially for the neck to help prevent and reduce the appearance of lines. Being that it is a citrus essential oil, it may cause irritation in people with sensitive skin.

Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) : Frankincense rejuvenates skin, so it's used on mature and aging complexions and to fade old scars, reduce inflammation, moisturize dry hair, and cure acne. A holiday favorite, this pungent scent is often associated with Christmas and is said to be one of the gifts of the Magi. Its antiseptic properties fight bacterial and fungal skin infections in a salve, lotion, or as a compress. It also treats infection of the lungs, the reproductive organs, and the urinary tract, and it increases the menstrual flow. the oil works in two ways to help the body fight infection and pain. It first numbs nerve endings to reduce the amount of pain sensations that reach the brain. And then it boosts the body's immune system to accelerate the healing process. As an added bonus, the oil's aroma relaxes the brain, which helps bring on sleep.

Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) : Myrrh has been used since Biblical times to treat many ailments. A holiday favorite, this pungent scent is often associated with Christmas and is said to be one of the gifts of the Magi. It is a sap that dries into hard crystals. The sap is used by some for making tinctures. Myrrh is both antiseptic and astringent. It is used today as a mouth wash and used for treatment of mouth ulcers, sore throats and even for the relief of sore gums. To use it as a mouthwash, drop a few drops of the sap into a glass of water.

Peppermint (Mentha piperata) : Peppermint recalls the images of candy canes and sweet treats made from this wonderful oil. Peppermint has the powerful therapeutic ingredient menthol, as well as menthone, menthyl acetate and some 40 other compounds. Peppermint is a naturally occurring hybrid of spearmint (M. spicata) and water mint (M. aquatica). The oil is made by steam-distilling the plant's aromatic leaves and stems. Peppermint oil acts as a muscle relaxant, particularly in the digestive tract, reduces the inflammation of nasal passages and relieve muscle pains. A mixture of peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil and ethanol (ethyl alcohol) on the forehead and temples can reduce headache pain. Peppermint can be take as a tea, capsules or tinctures.